In 2018, The HIV Community’s Fight Continues & Intensifies

2017 was a year in which HIV advocates achieved more than
many thought possible given the dire political circumstances, but it was also a
year in which many people suffered needlessly from the proliferation of unjust
policies from Washington. People living with and affected by HIV locked arms in
solidarity with the oppressed and vulnerable people of this nation, letting the
people in power know that the repeal of the Affordable Care Act, creation of
grossly unjust tax policies, and institutionalized discrimination against people
of color, religious minorities, and the LGBT community would not stand. We won some
of these battles, like the votes on ACA repeal, and lost others such as the fight
to stop Congressional Republicans from passing a $1.5 trillion tax cut for the
wealthy.

Less than a week into the new year, it is clear that the
same vigilance and energy we put into fighting for health and basic human
rights of people living with or affected by HIV will be needed again in 2018. With
the Congressional midterm elections coming up in November we must dig deep and
rededicate ourselves to our advocacy work to ensure that the next Congress will
genuinely help us work towards ending the HIV epidemic in America.

However, with midterm elections still 10 months away, many
other issues require our attention and advocacy. Here is a sampling of what to
expect in 2018:

•Congressional
Republican leadership sets their sights on Medicaid: Even before they passed
their mammoth tax cut in December, GOP leaders were setting the stage to push for
cuts to safety net programs like Medicaid and Medicare to pay for them. House
Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) has made his intentions clear, saying
in an interview last month that “entitlement reform”, i.e. the gutting of
health care for low-income and elderly Americans, would be a priority.

•ACA
Repeal Efforts are not over: Unfortunately, Senator John McCain’s (R-AZ)
dramatic thumbs-down vote on the floor of the Senate last year was not the last
word in the GOP’s attempts to overturn the ACA. The tax plan passed last month
included repeal of the ACA’s individual mandate, which could lead to 13 million
people losing their health insurance, and Senator Lindsey Graham (R-SC) is
already working
to resurrect the failed repeal legislation he worked on last year with
Senator Bill Cassidy (R-LA). Add to that the Trump administration’s continued
efforts to undermine the ACA—like rules proposed on Thursday to allow small
businesses to buy “association
health plans” that would bypass some ACA protections—and the attacks on our
nation’s health care law are far from over.

•Puerto
Rico & The U.S. Virgin Islands will need our aid: It has been more than
100 days since Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin
Islands and life there is still nowhere near normal. Nearly
half of Puerto Rican households are still without electricity, the
territory’s unjustly apportioned Medicaid program is on the verge of bankruptcy
and hundreds
of thousands of Puerto Ricans have already left the island for the
mainland. In 2018, our friends and fellow citizens in Puerto Rico will need the
power of our voices more than ever.

•Voting
Rights will continue to be under attack: Despite the sudden
dissolution of the Trump administration’s sham “Presidential Advisory
Commission on Election Integrity” this week, the threat to voting rights in
America for people of color will not be going anywhere anytime soon. Despite
the victory of Doug Jones in Alabama being propelled by the votes of black
Alabamians (black women in particular), the election was rife with instances
of systemic voter suppression. Despite these barriers, AIDS United and
other organizations will be working to create resource kits for HIV and
community based organizations to help people living with and affected by HIV
get out the vote.

It is clear that people living with HIV and their allies
will need to stay vigilant and engaged in 2018.
One way to do so is to attend AIDSWatch,
the nation’s largest annual constituent-based national HIV/AIDS advocacy event.
Combined, our voices, stories, and passion will get us closer to ending the
epidemic. You can register here.